The Contract Marriage for Attilenta's Revenge - Chapter 54

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Contract Marriage for Atilenta’s Revenge — Chapter 54
Something in my mind whispered darkly.
Mine.
I took another sip of the fruit tea, careful not to let the awkward expression forming on my face show too plainly.
Was there any word more uncomfortable than this?
I belonged to no one but myself.
Worse still, after wounding him with my distrust and silence, to suddenly accept him now—and behind a mask of false affection, no less.
Henrik had gone to the trouble of arranging this gathering for me, and here I was, drowning in my own doubts.
I had no answer. There might be a best course forward, but we were already so far off the path.
I couldn’t bring myself to enjoy this fragrant, colorful, vibrant occasion, not truly—even when Barsha saw to my every need.

* * *
“Nothing troublesome happened? Atilenta.”
That night, Henrik asked the moment he saw me in the bedroom.
His dark hair was damp from washing, and he wore a loose-fitting nightgown.
And here he was, tending to me as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
That uncomfortable word echoed in my mind, and I felt the sudden urge to avoid his gaze.
It no longer sounded like he was simply inspecting his own instrument, testing me as before.
If I had to compare it to anything, it was like that genuine confession he’d made—as though he truly cared for my wellbeing.
“Yes, of course. You needn’t worry yourself, Your Highness. I received the gift you sent most gratefully, and everyone at the gathering was envious of it.”
“I’m glad to hear it.”
The Jeweled Accessory Henrik had given me to raise my standing was clearly studded with expensive gems.
Barsha herself had mentioned the precious meaning behind the stones, and Tatra along with the other noble ladies had lavished it with admiring remarks tinged with jealousy.
Curiosity stirred in me.
“Your Highness, might I ask you something?”
He set aside the documents he’d been reading on the sofa and leaned toward me without hesitation.
“Of course.”
“I don’t mean to doubt the prowess you’ve shown on the battlefield, Your Highness, but there seems to be some difference between that and the manner I’ve observed of you here. I confess I don’t quite understand why the rumors spread so widely or why the papers made such a fuss of it.”
Henrik answered plainly.
“I see no need to boast of such things before you. Especially not now.”
At that forthright gaze, tension bloomed in my chest. I swallowed hard and pressed on, feigning composure.
“Of course, Your Highness, you are also a wise statesman commanding many people, and I mean no disrespect to that role.”
Henrik had already set down the documents and watched me with his chin resting in his hand, utterly composed.
“It’s only that—perhaps it sounds trite when everyone praises it so highly, but I’ve always believed Your Highness to be someone who understands ordinary virtue quite well.”
“I’m pleased that you see me that way. People’s character, you know, usually stems from their upbringing. I’m no exception.”
Henrik offered a clear answer with a faint smile, as if the matter required little reflection.
“I see.”
My palm suddenly itched. I clenched and unclenched my fist absently.
Even after a season of spending every night with him, I couldn’t grow accustomed to that tree-like smile of his.
I doubted I ever would. The way he looked at me with such feeling, the unfamiliar strangeness of it all—none of it had faded.
Yet he wasn’t the type to close the distance like an eager bridegroom, probing insistently.
I hesitated for a moment, then changed the subject.
“Your Highness, but at that gathering, I noticed something odd about one of the Iasha House servants.”
“What disturbed you about her?”
Recalling the servant I’d seen that afternoon, I explained calmly.
“The Iasha House daughter is close with Tatra and enjoys a fine reputation. Any servant attending to such a noble should carry herself with propriety and composure in both manner and appearance.”
I drew a short breath as Henrik’s expression grew more serious.
“Yet that servant was limping on one leg, clearly in some discomfort. While it wasn’t so obvious as to be glaring, I thought that if she were truly unwell that day, she shouldn’t have appeared at such an event at all.”
I held myself upright under his attentive gaze and concluded my thoughts.
“Perhaps she meant to emphasize her mistress’s kindness—that even such a servant is cared for. But it troubles me, and I’d like to investigate it by Magic.”
“No. I’ll handle that.”
His tone wasn’t cold, but the firmness of his refusal was unmistakable.
“Your Highness?”
A question escaped before I could help it. By the time I’d tried to catch it, it was too late.
He’d said his attitude toward dealing with me wouldn’t change, but this was something else.
“Atilenta, this is separate from what you worried about before. You don’t need to concern yourself.”
Henrik immediately soothed the unease and questions that rose unbidden in me.
“If I need your abilities for this matter later, I’ll ask you then.”
Wondering if my worry showed so plainly on my face, I absently cupped both cheeks.
Had he truly seen through me?
He knew I was anxious because my Magic abilities fell short of what was needed.
I’d acted recklessly a few times out of impatience, yes, but he’d never brought it up or made an issue of it.
Better, in truth, that he discovered I’d lately been conscious of him in a way I shouldn’t be.
Better to appear an inexperienced, shy wife to a man’s desires—and I genuinely believed this.
With my thoughts already tangled by recent confusion and upheaval, I couldn’t afford to let my incompetence sabotage the arrangement or my purpose.
Henrik, who had been watching me intently, continued.
“Your judgment is sound. The Biaubiga House and the Iasha House have a long history of exchange.”
He eased my anxious deliberation without the slightest show of condescension.
To appear like a capable dealer worthy of such a skilled partner, I nodded with deliberate solemnity.
“It would be best to begin with the branches, then.”
Henrik’s mouth curved upward on one side, and he wore a smile like mist.
“My thoughts exactly. You’re never wrong.”

* * *
The Royal Palace, ordinarily quiet, had grown crowded with visitors lately, and the bustle never ceased.
Under the pretext of my upcoming Birthday Celebration, even famous dressmakers from Henrik’s own palace came to call, and I found myself receiving all manner of people.
Yet I wasn’t particularly busy. Barsha had apparently arranged everything for the celebration from beginning to end, and since Poznan had written me a lengthy list of items suited to my taste, I had only to choose between rubies and diamonds.
Henrik’s situation, however, was quite different.
Though the King had recently recovered, Henrik was still said to be handling both the Internal and External Affairs alongside Lesichay.
I was curious about what exactly he was doing, but the curiosity that bloomed after I became conscious of him was too obvious to ignore, so I spent days pretending not to care.
Then, one meal like any other, Henrik made me a proposal.
“Atilenta, how would you like to go into Downtown with Barsha for an outing?”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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